Masked Intentions
by xSPiNx
Summary: Figure it out! An invitation to a Pokemon Ball stirs up mixed emotions in Ash - but they are interrupted by a mysterious threat, and he finds himself fearing for his life! Can Ash and company figure out who's after them before it's too late? [AshMisty]


**Summary:** An invitation to a Pokemon Party stirs up mixed emotions in Ash - but they are promptly interrupted by a mysterious threat, and Ash finds himself fearing for his life! Can Ash and company figure out who's after them before its too late? Mystery/Romance

**A/N: **A departure from the romantic comedies that I usually write. Err, actually, there _is _romance and comedy in this fic, but it's just not the forefront, although it _might_ be important later on in the story (hint hint! ;;;). Rated just to be safe. (It should be more like PG-7, but I like to be safe!)

**IMPORTANT!! **Please don't get turned off because this intro is a little on the short side! I promise, once I get into the flow of things, I'll try and make things a little longer.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own pokemon.

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Masked Intentions  
By: xSPiNx  
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_**You are cordially invited to a night of fun!**_

_This weekend, Professor Oak and the Pokemon League will be hosting a costume ball for pokemon trainers! There will be something for everybody. Dance the night away on our huge dance floor! Dancing not your thing? Play any of our hundreds of games for prizes galore! Or mingle with trainers from across the region! And the person with the best costume will win Professor Oak's new holographic pokedex -- complete with three dimensional holograms of all pokemon! All proceeds will further Professor Oak's research on preventing pokemon illnesses._

Professor Oak frowned. The idea was good, yes, but something bothered him. He had typed up the invitations, addressed all of the envelopes, and even instructed all the carrier-pidgeys on how to find the recipients… but he had never printed anything out.

The invitations had been saved on the computer in his lab, but he was the only one who could access them. Because of the sensitive files and important documents saved on it, he had built in special security precautions for his computer. There was the usual password protection, but he had also built in a fingerprint check and eye scan. He thought that no one would be able to get past them. Except for himself, of course. Strange.

Then again, maybe he HAD printed out the invitations. He was always so swamped with work, things usually slipped his mind. But something so important, he should have remembered.

Blaming it on his absentmindedness, he decided to just send out the invitations. What harm could it do?

That was his first mistake.

**-----**

Chapter One: Invitation

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"Pikachu, THUNDERBOLT!"

The yellow mouse darted quickly between Ash's feet. Its eyes were focused in concentration. Its red cheeks started to spark and crackle, ready to fire at will. "PIKACHUUUUUUUU!"

The thunderbolt hit it's target - a pile of sticks that had been thrown hastily in a pile. Upon being hit by the tremendous lightning attack, the pile instantly caught fire.

"Way to go, Pikachu! You got it!"

Pikachu chaa-ed with pride. Yes, that extra bottle of ketchup was well on it's way…

The campsite started to fill with the smell of Brock's cooking. Brock watched proudly as his pot bubbled and steamed, the trademarks of his "Super Secret Stew." The fragrance was amazing -- savory, sweet, and overall mouthwatering.

Everyone's stomachs started to rumble. In fact, it even seemed like if the bushes and trees had stomachs, then they would be rumbling too.

…Wait a minute. They were! What exactly was that?

"Oww!" From the foliage came a slightly audible grunt.

"James!" another voice hissed, "Be quiet! They'll hear you!" The warning was promptly accompanied by a smack on the head.

"But Jesseee," the first voice whined, "I can't help it! The food smells so good! And we haven't had a decent meal in days -- oww! Meowth!"

"Be quiet you's twos! If you ain't, there's a lot more scratchin' where dat came from!"

Ignoring the cranky feline, Jesse turned to her partner in attempted crime. "We have to get that Pikachu!"

"We should have just dug a hole…" James mused. He put a finger to his lips. "Yeah, holes are always the way to go."

Jesse rolled her eyes. What was it with this guy and holes? It was weird, in a cute kind of way… Shaking her head, she smirked. "Hey James, take a look at Twerp and Twerpette."

James cranked his head to the right, and squealed. "Ooh! They're at it again!"

Yes, Ash and Misty were definitely at it again. And no matter how the argument started -- whether it was a missed turn on the road, a misread map, or a failed attempt at a pokemon's capture -- the arguments always ended the same way.

"Ash Ketchum, you are so STUPID!"

"Here it comes," Jesse said under her breath. "And three, two, one…"

"At least I'm not a scrawny runt!"

James sighed from behind the bushes. "You'd think that by now, he would have thought of some better come backs…" He shook his head, rattling leaves in the bushes.

Ash's head perked up. "What was that?!"

If looks could kill, James would definitely be dead. He watched in horror as Ash slowly inched closer to the bush. Ash's hand extended, reaching toward the branch that hid James' face, when suddenly…

"Oh no you don't Ash," Misty interrupted. "Don't try to change the subject!"

Ash just sighed. He was _not_ in the mood to deal with this. It was time to try a new tactic. He put aside his pride (which was a very, _very_ hard thing to do)."You know what, Misty?" he asked her, in his "grown up voice." "I'm just going to be the bigger person and walk away." And he did just that.

Misty was stunned. Did he just take the high road?! That was _so _not the Ash thing to do. She couldn't help but smile. Wow, he was growing up…

Ash, on the other hand, was proud of himself. He'd been telling himself that he had needed to do that for a long time. But as he walked away, he couldn't help himself but think.

It wasn't that he hated Misty. In fact, he liked her -- err, strictly as a friend, of course! It was just that he didn't know why they fought so much. Or how it started. And now that he thought about it… was she going out of her way to argue with him now? He shook his head. Nah. It couldn't be. He was just being paranoid.

But strangely enough, lately, he had been feeling sort of strange toward the fiery redhead. Take today, for instance. Usually, he loved arguing with her -- but something had held him back. Weird. Maybe he was growing up? He grinned. Wait until he told his mom about this…

His thoughts were interrupted by a soft rustle of wings and a gentle "coo" as a pidgey landed on his head. It peered down at him, then pecked him on the forehead. Jumping it front of him, it rustled it's feathers in a show of cockiness, dropped the envelope clutched in it's claws into Ash's hands, and took off.

Ash studied the envelope carefully. It was from Professor Oak! He tore it open impatiently, and scanned the sliver of paper that fell out. His eyebrows arched with interest. _Mingle with trainers from across the region?_ That could only mean one thing -- battles!

Excitedly, he relayed the news to his two companions, and they responded with equal enthusiasm. But more people were listening than Ash thought…

"Ooh, a masked ball? I have a dress that would be perfect!" James realized that he had _said_ that, and not _thought_ it, and he quickly put a hand to his mouth.. "Heheh… As a costume, of course…"

Jesse and Meowth looked at the other third of their trio with disbelief. James blinked. "What?"

Jesse sighed. "Er, nothing James. Let's get going."

"We'll get that Pikachu if it's the last thing we do!" Team Rocket chorused happily, before setting off on the winding trail, following the Twerps closely. Famous last words.

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Surveying a grand dance floor, a lone figure stood in a corner. Shrouded in the shadows, it laughed -- a noise that echoed, reverberated, a sound that seemed to manically grow louder as it bounced off the walls. It had been easy to break that professor's computer precautions, and even easier to have him send the invitations out. "_A masked ball…_" the figure thought to itself. It laughed. "_Perfect…_"Soon, everything would be starting.

It's lip curled upward in disgust, remembering the masses of people that had laughed at it in the past. "_Patience,_" it told itself. "_They will all get what the deserve. Everything will work out…_"

Yes, everything was going according to plan…

_**To be continued…**_

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**A/N:** Heh. Hopefully that wasn't _too _bad. I feel weird writing intros to _any_ story, to me, they're one of the hardest parts. I like writing endings first. Haha. Anyway, sorry if this was a little boring -- I use introduction chapters to lay down the background stuff, so I promise the parts will get more interesting as the story continues.

For clarification -- the figure at the end _is_ a person, I just didn't want to give away a gender yet, in case later I accidentally write something that makes who it is really obvious. Heh. I couldn't think of anything to write except for "it," so if anyone has any suggestions for how to handle this little problem, can you leave some advice in a review?

Next chapter -- no matter how hard Ash tries, there's always going to be some tension between him and Misty, more characters are introduced (aka, suspects!), things get a little heated between our two favorite trainers at the masked ball, some insight into the mind of "the figure," and someone is attacked. ;;; Woah. Maybe I'll cut that down a few…

And as always, all reviews and advice are greatly appreciated.


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